Physician-Chief Health Informatics

This is an Open Continuous Announcement and may be extended beyond the current closing date until the position is filled. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals, as additional vacancies occur and/or on an as-needed basis during the duration of the announcement. Once a selection is made and offer is accepted the announcement may close pending no additional vacancies.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be authorized

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Major Duties and Responsibilities:
As the resident expert in clinical informatics and health IT, the CHIO serves as the primary advisor to the Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff, Associate Director, and other facility leaders. The CHIO is expected to be a strong agent for change and must demonstrate an ability to understand the needs of his/her professional counterparts, for example, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, etc. In addition, the CHIO must demonstrate understanding of the Medical Center organizational structure and the role informatics plays within the organization.

The CHIO must demonstrate a mastery of:

PATIENT CARE

1. 1. Plays a key role in using the capability of the VA clinical information systems to assist practitioners in doing the right things for the right patients at the right time.
   2. Ensures adequate support to measurably improve the quality of data and the transfer of clinical information between providers.

TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS

1. 1. Evaluates clinical computing systems; analyzes and evaluates the effect of interventions on health outcomes.
   2. Enables healthcare capabilities and the evolution of technology adjoined to the EHR to deliver quality care by developing, implementing, monitoring, maintaining, and optimizing informatics tools and access to them.

DATA MANAGEMENT

1. Effectively creates, integrates, disseminates, and manages data for enterprise applications, processes and entities requiring timely and accurate data delivery.
2. Manages the availability, usability, integrity, and security of the data in enterprise systems, based on internal data standards and policies that also control data usage.

COLLABORATION

1. 1. Coordinates information management support for clinical activities within the medical center by participating collaboratively with staff to design, implement, and evaluate the clinical information systems configuration, and the capabilities that will be used. These activities will include the scholarly endeavors of xxx VAMC staff and affiliate trainees.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION

1. 1. Ensures clinical input in the development and management of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) business architecture, which structures and communicates the VHA healthcare business, and includes descriptions of business behaviors, functionality, processes, and the flow of information that is required to achieve VHA's mission.

LEADERSHIP

1. 1. Supervises professional and non-professional staff to accomplish the work of the health informatics office.
   2. Provides fair, principled, decisive leadership to facility staff inspiring a climate of productivity, effectiveness, and high morale.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Telework Eligible: Ad-hoc only at supervisor discretion.

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are:
  • (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
  • Exceptions:
    • Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience:

• • Clinical Informatics fellowship or recognized health informatics certification
  • Prior leadership roles such as service chief, deputy chief, program director, ACOS-level, CMIO/CHIO, or equivalent, with a track record of managing complex initiatives, supervising teams, and driving change in a healthcare system
  • Expertise in electronic health records and clinical workflows, ideally including VA's legacy CPRS/VistA and/or the Oracle Cerner EHR, with a history of optimizing clinical workflows, data use, and decision support tools.
  • Proven ability to use data analysis, health IT, and informatics tools to improve quality, safety, and efficiency, combined with strong communication, stakeholder engagement, and change management skills to lead interdisciplinary teams through informatics-driven transformations.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:

Functional Requirements:
Light Lifting, under 15 lbs
Light carrying, under 15 lbs
Walking, 2 hours
Standing, 2 hours
Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other
Hearing (aid be permitted)

Environmental Factors:
Working closely with others
Working alone

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.